Essay On Otitis Media

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Understanding Otitis Media
Otitis media, commonly known as an ear infection, is an infection located in the middle ear, commonly diagnosed in children. In 2006, approximately nine million children (age zero to seventeen) were reported to have otitis media, while medical costing to treat otitis media peaked at $2.8 billion dollars (Soni, 2008). Costing and statistics of otitis media will continue at the increasing rate due to the commonality of the infection. As a result of increasing cases of otitis media, an understanding of the disease’s classifications, causes, symptoms, diagnostic tests, and treatments will inform one of the diseases presences.
Classifications
Otitis media consists of three classifications: A). Otitis Media Effusion B). Acute Otitis Media, and C).Chronic Suppurative Media) to differentiate the categories of the disease. Otitis media effusion is the uninfected blockage of fluid located in the middle section of the ear and the Eustachian tube. This category of otitis media is the lowest classification because of the mild severity of pain and infected fluid in the ear. Acute otitis is the acute stage of otitis media that is the most common infection treated by antibiotics in the United States. (Subcommittee on Management of Acute Otitis Media, 2004). Acuteness is determined by the moderate swelling of the tympanic membrane (the eardrum) and the amount of otorrhea (ear drainage) presented. The shortage of time the infection remains in the patient distinctly distinguishes the classifications of Otitis media. Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) is the persistence of an ear infection enduring greater than three months. Chronic Suppurative is accompanied with recurring otorrhea and continuous swelling of the tympanic. O...

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